AsWirtgen, a driver of innovation turns 60, a look at its rich history and justwhy it is synonymous with efficient and cost-effective construction methods.

Constructionmachinery from Windhagen is in use all over the world today. In addition toWirtgen cold milling machines, which are found on virtually every roadrehabilitation job site, the machine manufacturer also produces technologicallyleading recyclers, soil stabilizers, slipform pavers, and surface miners.

Wirtgen’sinnovative products and technologies have been shaping road construction for 60years and, today, are synonymous with efficient and cost-effective constructionmethods.

Looking back at 660 years of RoadConstruction experience

In1961, Reinhard Wirtgen started out with a trucking company for roadconstruction materials. Through innovative machine developments, bold ideas,and a visionary approach, he built Wirtgen into an internationally renownedconstruction machinery specialist. What makes this truly notable is that hisown experience as a service provider in road construction helped shape acorporate culture that lives and breathes closeness to the customer.

Today,the company forms a central pillar of the Wirtgen Group. Each of the productbrands with their own unique history – Wirtgen (founded in 1961), Vögele(founded in 1836), Hamm (founded in 1878), Kleemann (founded in 1857), andBenninghoven (founded in 1909) – has made a significant impact on and advancedthe application processes in their field. All in all, the Wirtgen Group standsfor 660 years of experience in road construction.

Fivebrand headquarters in Germany, international production facilities in Brazil,China, and India, numerous sales and service companies, and a close-knit dealernetwork ensure that the group’s premium products and cutting-edge technologiesare used in every market worldwide. “Close to our customers” is the valueproposition of the entire group of companies today. Since 2017, this enginedriving innovation in the industry has been a strong part of the John DeereGroup.

Dawn of a new era in Road Construction:Wirtgen’s Cold Milling Process

Inthe early 1970s, Wirtgen developed hot milling, a new process that, for thefirst time, made it possible to remove asphalt over large areas. The nextmilestone followed in 1979, when Wirtgen once again revolutionized roadconstruction with the development of the cold milling machine.

Thefirst cold milling machine was a rear loader with a hydraulic milling drumdrive. The SF 3800 C was capable of milling up concrete, asphalt, andgravel of varying depths without having to significantly heat the sub-base.

Thisnot only increased the milling depth and allowed the machine to work faster butalso saved energy. Over time, the company has continued to use its expertise incold milling technology to set new standards.

The F Series of Large Milling Machines: HowCold Milling is done today

Thecurrent milestone in cold milling technology is the company’s F series of largemilling machines. With this range of high-performance machines, Wirtgen issetting new standards in terms of efficiency and resource friendliness, as wellas in the digital documentation and evaluation of milling job sites. As was thecase when Wirtgen made the revolutionary switch from hot milling to coldmilling in the 1970s, the company is once again taking a major evolutionarystep in road construction.

Mill Assist: Lower Consumption, More Power,Superior Quality

Inthe new F series, Wirtgen has implemented the first intelligent machine conceptthat is capable of autonomously meeting the operator’s performance and qualityrequirements in the best possible way. In automatic mode, Mill Assist selectsthe operating strategy with the ideal balance between milling performance andoperating costs and responds intelligently and dynamically to changingconditions. This significantly reduces diesel, water, and pick consumption aswell as carbon and noise emissions.

TheF series with Mill Assist is the groundbreaking answer to the questions of thefuture, since sustainability and environmental protection are becomingincreasingly important parts of RFPs.

Increasing Machine Efficiency with WPT(Wirtgen Performance Tracker)

Anotherof the company’s innovations is the digital documentation and evaluation ofmilling job sites. This was only made possible thanks to the development of theWirtgen Performance Tracker, which precisely measures the area milled, themilling volume, and all of the consumption data. These parameters are displayedin real time to the milling machine operator on the operator’s platform.

Immediatelyafter the completion of a milling job, all of this data is documented in anautomatically generated report and sent by email to the machine owner. Theefficiency assessment is also a valuable tool for the operator in order to helpthem use the machine even more efficiently and further reduce dieselconsumption and pick wear during the next job, for example.

Specialized and Groundbreaking: Key WirtgenTechnologies

Inorder for the cold milling machine to remove pavement with precision andefficiency, it is essential that the drum, pick holder, and pick work togetherperfectly. This is the company from Windhagen’s specialty, and cuttingtechnology is one of its key technologies.

Asthe market leader, Wirtgen continuously makes advancements to these cuttingtechnology components. When doing so, the company particularly incorporatespractical experience and feedback from its customers into the process. Thecompany’s internally developed and perfectly compatible high-performancecutting systems play a decisive role in Wirtgen cold milling machines’outstanding machine productivity.